I would give them Zero stars if I could.
Let me preface this by saying I typically LOVE Target. I'm one of those girls who goes to Target for fun even if I don't need a single thing.
I had a bad experience a few weeks ago, but I brushed it off. I didn't feel the need to judge an entire store or management based on one bad employee. However I returned today and discovered that the one thing this facility has working for them is their consistency, as I had just as bad an experience, with not just one but two different workers.
The first poor experience I had was in the electronics department. As we all know, this is the department that truly requires an employee working due to the nature of many products being locked. I came into Target with one goal in mind; to buy myself a Nintendo Switch for Christmas. It was supposed to be a good day. I went straight to the electronics, checked that the specific console and game I wanted were in stock, then went to the register in that section to ask the worker to help me unlock the case and check out my purchase. At least, that's what I was expecting to do, until realizing upon arrival to the register that there was NO ONE WORKING. I noticed another customer who looked like he needed help in the phones section also circling the register trying to find a worker. I kid you not, I spent about 20 minutes walking down the aisles trying to find an employee. I even contemplating walking to the other side of the store all the way in the front to find someone to help me there, but I didn't want to go back and forth. Finally, I notice a guy who has been standing somewhat near the electronics being possibly reprimanded at by a Target employee. He had been standing there the entire time near a cart. I had noticed him while circling the aisles, but did not even know he was a worker because he was not wearing a uniform, nor a name tag, nor did he look like he cared, and I thought he was a customer. I try to wait for them to finish their conversation because I don't want to interrupt, but I decide I've wasted enough time and walk up to them, and ask for help to buy my switch. It was a very awkward interaction and I wasn't even sure who to look at/ask. The guy finally helps me unlock the case and rings me up at the register. He hardly says anything, states my total (which he also initially stated incorrectly by hundreds of dollars, so apparently Target workers at this location can't even read a monitor correctly), and leaves RIGHT after handing me my receipt. He left even before I finished packing my wallet away, which just felt very odd and unprofessional to me, as I stood at the register alone kind of awkwardly.
Honestly, this guy might have been getting fired or was working his last day or something of that nature, or at least that's how it seemed, so I shrugged it off.
Then today maybe half an hour or more was wasted due to the incompetence of the workers. I came wanting to purchase a specific game with a gift card. The game wasn't in stock, so I decide to grab a Nintendo voucher to download the game. I go to self check out, and the machine dings for an employee. Firstly, the girl working doesn't even come to help until I look for her and make eye contact with her, despite the light on my machine going off. She comes and tries to scan her code, but the machine still isn't processing my gift card. She states to me "I don't think you have money on this card," which already comes off pretty offensive. I state, "I checked the balance online, this card is definitely valid." She pushes a few buttons on the machine, then says "it's not working" AND THEN SHE JUST WALKS AWAY. I'm just standing there awkwardly like "uh okay... what..." (Of course I could have just paid with my credit card or cash but I didn't want to do so when I had balance laying around.) My boyfriend in the meantime is quickly checking my balance for me online, being much more helpful than a paid employee, (I was really confused as to why she didn't at the very least think to help check my balance for me), and he suggests we go to the register and see if they would be of more help. The line is incredibly long, but this is as to be expected, as only ONE register is open. (This is also common at this location). Another employee comes up to us and tells us to go to self check out because the line is too long. Rather than opening another register to cut the line in half, she told us to do the job, the job that she is being PAID to do, ourselves. My boyfriend explains we just came from there and the machine wasn't processing my gift card. This employee directs us to go go another line on guest services. She takes another look at what I'm buying and says that I can't use my gift card on the voucher. SOMETHING THE FIRST EMPLOYEE I ENCOUNTERED SHOULD HAVE KNOWN AND TOLD ME BEFORE I WASTED ANOTHER 15 MINUTES.
Overall it is evident that the employees at this location are incompetent and poorly trained, if at all. read more